Jeff and Annie 2 Point 0
by robert3A-SN
Summary: After Britta sleeps off a hangover at Jeff's, she laments that she's too screwed up to let herself go any further with Troy. Then when she points out that Jeff has the exact same problem with Annie, their competitive urges take over. Jeff/Annie, Britta/Troy; Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Jeff knew this would be a nightmarish Saturday the minute he woke up on his couch. He confirmed it when he saw it was an ungodly early 8 am. But then again, he knew this would happen the second Troy, Abed and Annie dropped a drunk Britta off to sleep through her latest stupor, so at least he wasn't shocked.

All Jeff could do was take a cell phone picture of his uncomfortable self on the couch, then send it to the residents of Casa de Trobed. Then he somehow dragged himself over to the bedroom, where he saw a snoring Britta laying sideways and wrinkling his perfect sheets.

But once he took a picture of her and sent it to Troy, Abed and Annie, they'd know she was okay. And once they saw what time he sent these two pictures, they'd know that Jeff and Britta didn't get into drunken sex during the night.

After all, Jeff would never get up at 8 am from his comfy bed, lie on the couch, take a picture and take one of a sleeping Britta if he had sex in bed last night. So this would satisfy Troy in case he was thinking otherwise – and pacify the others as well. Just in case.

With that loose end tied up, Jeff dragged himself back to the couch for some last minute rest. But the next thing he knew, he was woken up by some groaning from the bedroom. The kind of morning groaning he still recognized too well, despite not having heard it in his apartment for over a year.

"Nice to have my old alarm clock back," Jeff called out to Britta. He heard her try to retort, but it came out as garbled jibberish like always.

After another few minutes of hearing her stumble around his bedroom – and hoping she had enough sense to spare his sheets any more pain – Jeff finally saw a hung over Britta emerge. "So how was your evening?" Jeff teased.

"It's too early for your 'jokes' Jeff," Britta somehow managed to say.

"Well, it's too early to be up, period, but you made that irrelevant," Jeff pointed out. "We'll get to that, once I make sure my threads are where I left them," he announced as he headed for the bedroom.

"My brain cells might not be where I left them, thanks for caring!" Britta rambled, yet Jeff wouldn't take responsibility for those mercy killings.

He wasn't even drinking with Britta this time, since Troy, Abed and Annie apparently went out with her last night. And according to them, Britta insisted on sleeping her bender off in Jeff's comfy bed, rather than her own or in any of the Trobed beds. But at least she didn't get to puke in Annie's bed or on any of her stuffed animals – and at least the damage to his own bed was minimal after all.

Once Jeff properly made his bed and got his sheets just right again, he got dressed and went back to the living room, with Britta lying her head on the kitchen table. "Let me guess, you don't have any real organic food to help me out here, right?" Britta mumbled into the table.

"Not since you stopped sleeping over, no," Jeff reminded. "But I'm already up and I need you to talk normal at some point. So I'll get your all-natural hangover cure stuff, just like old times," he relented, then got a hat and sunglasses so no one would recognize him.

It should have bothered Jeff more that he still remembered where Britta got her organic food, which kinds she needed for hangovers, and was getting them although they weren't sleeping together. Yet he couldn't get answers while she was a slightly bigger mess than usual.

Still, at least he got a text message back from Annie on his way there. Naturally, it included some cutesy and apologetic emoticons over the two pictures he sent earlier. At least she wasn't too panicky over Britta – or over what she might have done in Jeff's bedroom.

So Jeff typed a thumbs up emoticon and informed her he was getting Britta's organic food. He left out how he was already driving there, since it was too early for a lecture about driving while texting – and how Oprah and Glee had taught Jeff nothing. Fortunately, Annie just awed and cutesy emoticoned Jeff some more, amazing Jeff that she could do so at this unholy hour on a Saturday.

Annie also texted apologies on Britta's behalf, reminding him it was Britta's idea to crash at Jeff's, for reasons she and Troy and Abed didn't get. Well, Abed probably knew, but this was the time of the month where he let characters figure things out on their own. Jeff would have literally patted himself on the back for not making a 'time of the month' joke if he wasn't driving – and almost did anyway.

Instead, he texted Annie that it was okay and Britta would be fine, then they just kept texting each other for a few minutes – despite not talking about Britta anymore. Finally, Annie pointed out that Jeff said he was heading to the car a few minutes ago. She then asked sternly – and Jeff could even feel the stern tone from the text – if he was texting and driving.

So Jeff texted that he was starting the engine and had to go, then turned off the phone before Annie could nitpick further. Fortunately, he got to the organic food store moments later, and got Britta's stuff without anyone noticing him.

Jeff returned to the apartment and saw Britta still at the kitchen table. But when she caught the objectively unpleasant smell of her organic crap, she lifted her head up and started chowing down. With Britta clearly busy, Jeff went back to the couch and started browsing through his usual bad Saturday TV.

Yet after Britta was revived and the Saturday lineup proved less bad than hoped, Jeff went back over to talk to his house guest. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this murder free breakfast?" Jeff asked Britta, who frowned in righteous disgust – the clearest sign she was on the mend.

"Well, I'm sorry someone actually tried to _save _the world in this apartment again!" Britta scoffed. Yep, back with a vengeance. "Don't worry, you can choke the environment again with your less Earthly food tomorrow."

"I don't know. Between you saving my room's environment with your organic eating, and you choking it with your drunken sleepover last night, where would I find room to pollute it again?" Jeff commented. "If you didn't insist on being drunk in here, maybe I'd still be in balance with Mother Nature. So why _did _you betray your dear old mommy, anyway?"

At that, Britta was weirdly silent. Of course the one time Jeff actually _wanted _Britta to talk…. "Did Troy check in on you?" she finally asked quietly.

"No, Annie did, but I let her know you were fine. She'll pass it along to the dynamic duo when they're not acting like giant worms. Or whatever monsters they're playing this week," Jeff informed.

"It's vampire bears, actually," Britta somehow knew.

"Huh, I'm surprised you knew that. If you knew why you insisted on sleeping here instead of home, or with your vampire bear friends, _then _I'd be impressed," Jeff confessed.

"I haven't slept with him – them!" Britta didn't correct fast enough, which narrowed it down for Jeff.

"Ah, so that's it. Trouble in paradise with a certain vampire bear," Jeff teased. "Well, I _might_ have cared enough to bug you on a slow Wednesday, but thankfully it's Saturday. And you've disturbed enough of my Saturday, so we can just drop it right there."

Immediately after he said this, Jeff knew he'd screwed himself, as this wasn't one of Britta's reverse psychology trick. Now that he got a general idea of what made her drink, he didn't want to be bothered with it anymore. And it was because he'd already been disturbed way too much on a Saturday, not because he was jealous of Troy.

Unfortunately, now that he'd said he didn't want to talk, Britta would be ready to drone on and on and on. This was what happened when Jeff didn't get his 14 hours of early weekend sleep and forgot about traps like that.

"Things were going so well, and that was the problem," Britta let the nightmare begin. "They invited me to get an early look at their new movie. And it….wasn't something I needed to get high to like. At least not for _two _acts. Then we went to a bar to celebrate, and we were drinking without getting drunk….and then when Abed and Annie left us alone, we were _that _close to kissing! Then they came back just a little too early...and _then _I started drinking."

"And there's our first Britta of the story, dear viewers," Jeff commented, trying to stay awake somehow.

"Hey, the real Britta would have been to kiss him! At least that's what my brain said when I got drunk. Then it stopped thinking about him and us and kissing and screwing things up, so I just went with it! And then it kept telling me to rest up at your place, so who was I to say no then?" Britta asked, as if Jeff could begin to answer.

"I'd ask Troy, Abed and Annie, but they're not here and you're here, aren't you?" Jeff sarcastically double checked.

"But that's it, I'm here. I'm _here _instead of there, and I _wanted _it that way!" Britta stated before sighing deeply. "Troy really didn't call and think I slept with you, did he?"

"No. I only told Annie, so if Troy thinks that, he's just bugging her at the moment. And she's not calling me to help her calm Troy down, so I think you're good," Jeff littered with some spare sarcasm.

"I'm not good, and that's the problem!" Britta admitted. "I was close to having a real _moment _with Troy! Like moment in a sexist, pro-female slavery romcom moment! But the first chance I got to back out of it, I got drunk and tried to make Troy mad and jealous by sleeping here! And even that didn't work! But I'll probably find something that _does, _cause messing this stuff up is the one thing I _don't _Britta for long!"

Jeff remembered this recurring morning proble all too well. When Britta was just getting over her hangovers, yet hadn't got all her defenses back up yet, she tended to get more self-loathing than usual. But even Jeff realized this went deeper than wishing she was in a Turkish prison, or had a rich father she could turn in for financial crimes against humanity.

This actually sounded serious. God, Jeff could _not _catch a break on this Saturday!

"Every time things get really good with someone nice, I have to find a way to mess it up. I can't even blame corporations or bagals for hardwiring me that way, I just do it all myself! But….but he's sweet and carefree and he's so dim but so smart sometimes! And_ I_….make everyone miserable. Even the likes of him, eventually. So isn't it _good_ that I can't let someone like him get somewhere with someone like me?" Britta asked, as if she really wanted Jeff to answer her. And that might be because she did.

"Britta, didn't I Winger speech you straight on that months ago?" Jeff started. "You know I don't like to repeat Winger speeches! Just like I don't like to see people I've already had sex with, or have sex with them for longer than a few months. Or be friends with them long after we stopped having sex! But I already made those exceptions for you, just like this one. So if you were special enough to set all those records, I guess you're special enough for someone like Troy. Is that good enough to stick this time?"

"Wait, you're encouraging me to be with him?" Britta checked. "I just told you how awful I'd be for him! And you still think a screw up like me should be with someone who's way better than me?"

"If that's what you want to get out of it, I won't stop you." Jeff offered, figuring that would get her to bother Troy the rest of the weekend. Instead, Britta just laughed more unsettlingly than usual.

"_You _think _I'm _good enough for _him_?" she all but giggled. "Like I believe that from _you_! Not after three years of the Jeff and Annie show, I'm not!"

_That _was a show Jeff did not want to gossip about right now – _especially _with Britta.

Unfortunately, she brought it up so out of the blue, Jeff couldn't kill _all _his curiosity. "Why does that mean _anything _to you and Troy?" he sadly couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Oh come on, me and Troy are you and Annie 2.0!" Britta theorized. "We're the older screw-ups who can't deal with anything real, and they're the young innocents who see something in us for some crazy reason! But we don't feel worthy enough to just take the leap anyway, even if they want us to! And we're too afraid of hurting people who think we _don't _ruin everything! I mean, face it Jeff, you're me with a bad dye job! And Annie's just Troy with Disney eyes!"

"Oh, I _wish_ a Disney eyed Troy was the most disturbing part of that fantasy," Jeff sincerely wished, before settling down to set Britta straight. "Britta, I know we're too alike to have anything….happen here again."

"Exactly!" Britta interrupted. "And that's why we're both focused on great young people way out of our league now! But it didn't work between us because we're too alike! And we know it won't work with _them _because we're not alike with them at all! We'd ruin them, suck all their goodness away and hate ourselves more when it ended badly! If you didn't think that about Annie, she'd be staying here and I'd _have _to crash at home, so think about that!"

"No thank you, I'd rather stay in reality a while longer," Jeff shared, despite not sounding as forceful.

"Come on, Jeff. You think you let Annie know we weren't sleeping together for _Troy's _sake? You did it so _she_ wouldn't think we hooked up again. Then you wouldn't have to deny the Annie of it All in front of us again either. But if you had to, you'd still do that again! Because it's better to break her heart that way, than to ruin her with a relationship you can't handle. Trust me, I know that now!" Britta laid out.

"How much you know varies from week to week," Jeff tried and failed to deflect.

"Face it, Jeff, you're not the guy to give me relationship advice here. You can't convince yourself you're good enough to be with someone like Annie. So how can you convince me I'm good enough to keep someone like Troy?" Britta demanded to know.

There were too many things about Britta's little theory for Jeff to protest. And Saturday was not a day meant to argue something like that. Yet Britta could _not _go unchallenged on this. So Jeff started off with the first objection he could think of.

"Britta….compare you and me all you want, but do _not _lump Annie and Troy together. Annie isn't like him, and she isn't like _anyone _in the world either! Plus I know I'd just treat her wrong and let her down if we got together, which I can't let happen! You'd be too busy treating _yourself _badly to keep Troy around, which is totally different! So at least get _that _stuff through your head!" Jeff insisted.

"Wow, it sounds like you think very highly of Annie," Britta deadpanned.

"Longer than you've thought about Troy!" Jeff countered. "You've been nuts about him for a few _months_! Come talk to me after _three years _and you might have something!"

"See, there you go! You've been nuts for her for three years and you _still _can't be with her! So how can you say I won't avoid Troy for three more years too? Why should I listen to someone who's a bigger coward than me?" Britta asked.

"I see. So it's _cowardice _to keep someone like Annie from someone like me. I'd call it being smart, being considerate for the first time, and keeping the best person we all know from being miserable. But you went for cowardice, nice," Jeff quipped.

"Ah ha! So it's smart for _you_ to string someone along and protect her from you! But it's not okay for _me _to do it! Thanks for clearing that up," Britta gloated as Jeff sputtered over actually being outsmarted by her.

"You think I _like _that it's smart?" Jeff finally spat out. "If it wasn't for all that, I'd go get her in a second!" he confessed, as it was too early for his usual defenses to go up too. "I know I would, but I don't know about you, though!"

"Hey, the second Britta'ing doesn't stand for teeny tiny screw-ups, I'll go out there and Britta Troy all night long! You just watch me!" Britta challenged.

"From where, one of Abed's other timelines where it actually _might _happen?" Jeff shot back.

"Yeah, you could go there and take a vacation from that other timeline! You know, the one where you have the guts to go for Annie and actually _try _to be good for her! The one that could never in a hundred years be this one? You know, _that _one!" Britta matched.

"At least we'd have you and Troy beaten by _two hundred _years, so there!" Jeff taunted, running out better material. Yet whenever he and Britta had these competitive, taunting arguments, it usually devolved into childish words much sooner.

"Oh please, I could beat you to it right now if I wanted! Then you'd have no excuses left not to get Annie!" Britta pointed out.

"Is that supposed to be a challenge? Like if you break through with Troy first, I have to do it with Annie? And the other way around too?" Jeff asked incredulously, about to tear Britta apart for such a crazy idea.

Yet before he could, Britta had to state, "Unless you're too _smart_ to take that kind of chance," clearly meaning something else by "smart." Once Jeff saw that it translated into "coward," all of his common sense left him, as it always did when he went into Britta battle.

"Fine, you want smarts? Once I get through my issues to be with Annie first, I'll look like Einstein while you're still Britta'ing Troy's brains out! Who'll be the smart one then?" Jeff checked.

"Not me, that's for sure! I can like myself enough to get Troy _way_ before you get off your overrated ass for Annie!" Britta offered.

"Well, then I guess we'll see who's the smart one soon enough," Jeff concluded.

"Duh-doy we will!" Britta counter-offered.

"Oh, now I'm _really _worried."

"Well, it's too late to concede defeat now, you had your chance, Jeff!"

"Fine, and there goes your chance too!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

With that last childish fine from Jeff, he finally went back to watching TV and ignoring Britta. For that matter, Britta sat down at the kitchen table and focused on nothing but her breakfast. When she finished and was relatively okay to head home, she headed away to take the bus without saying a word to Jeff.

Yet when Jeff noticed her gone, he wasn't at a loss for words in his head. Some of those words questioned why the hell he admitted that Annie stuff to Britta in the first place. Others had some leftover Britta jokes he would now have to save for Monday morning at the study room.

Another string of words questioned if he really took a dare to pursue Annie for real, before Britta could do the same with Troy. When he remembered the answer was yes, Jeff groaned and asked one more thing out loud.

"How the _hell _can she even Britta _Saturday_?"


	2. Chapter 2

Jeff tried to forget about Britta's little challenge and veg out for the rest of Saturday. But even Saturday's magic vegging powers weren't enough. Nothing was whenever Britta got into his head like that.

Being consumed with beating her and getting one up on her was nothing new. Yet combined with Annie, Britta's attack on Jeff's guts, Annie again, and the laughable Jeff/Annie Britta/Troy comparisons, there was just no resisting this. Britta laid down the gauntlet, and Jeff would cross it and laugh it up in her face, as per usual. Well, except for those times Britta _very clearly _cheated.

Jeff had the weekend to plan how he'd get together with Annie before Britta did with Troy. After all, there was no way she'd have something that would work that quickly, being Britta and all. So Jeff could relax and take his time planning it out.

In fact, he even revisited old implausible fantasies – like asking Annie out in the study room, making a bold declaration of his 'feelings' in class, or just apologizing for everything and asking for a new start. Various…..concerns kept Jeff from thinking too much about that stuff before, let along doing it.

Yet as he pictured Britta's shocked, stunned, defeated face afterwards this time – instead of the furious, castration-y look he usually imagined afterwards – he found himself feeling a lot better. And as Jeff imagined all the things he'd have to do to keep it going – date, be honest, act like a boyfriend, have sex with Annie without going crazy – Britta's defeat even made that palatable after all.

This put Jeff on quite a high – even better than Britta's highs – when he went to sleep on Saturday night and had it all worked out. On Monday morning, he'd try one of those ideas, get Annie and show Britta who the coward _really _was between them. It would be his greatest victory ever and it would teach Britta a thing or two about his awesomeness once and for all.

At least it was easy to think that on Saturday.

On Sunday, Jeff _didn't_ think about it that much for some reason. Britta, Annie, Troy and the others didn't call or bother him, so perhaps this helped explain it. Yet whenever he thought about yesterday's plan, he didn't linger too long. In fact, when his mind did wander to those plans, he wound up finding quicker and quicker ways to distract himself. To _not _think about the sweet victory lying ahead.

Usually Jeff would have a lot more fun thinking about winning and beating Britta. Yet by Sunday night, he wasn't thinking about it at all – and almost felt relieved not to. Of course, that would likely be difficult when he saw Britta, Annie, Troy and the gang on Monday morning.

That morning looked like nothing out of the ordinary. As usual, Jeff tuned everyone out while they blathered about stuff that would become some epic adventure by Thursday. However, as much as Jeff usually tuned them out, he still heard them and paid some attention, even if he didn't acknowledge it.

Yet on this morning, he eventually realized he was _trying _not to listen to them – at least not to Britta, Annie and Troy. He was making an actual effort to ignore them and not get dragged into their conversations. Because the thought of talking to them today made him feel…..something resembling nervous, but _that _couldn't be it.

So what _was _making Jeff unwilling to talk to them? And making him less happy to think about his coming triumph? And why wasn't he already asking Annie out in front of Britta and winning? And….why did he just make a disgusted noise when he thought about that?

"Jeff? You're not going to cough up some alien goo, are you?"

Ah. So while Jeff was thinking, the morning meeting was over, he had gotten to the halls and Troy himself had caught up to him. Interesting. That was the nicest and clearest word for it. "No, why do you ask?" Jeff asked, showing less interest than usual in hopes of speeding this along.

"Okay, no alien goo, then. So I guess I have nothing else to share with you and brag about, or whatever. But as long as I'm here, I might as well say _something_. Something I'm not really allowed to say until I tell everyone with Britta this afternoon! But if that told you I hooked up with Britta this weekend, I guess you're just too smart for me!" Troy finished with a clearly fake groan.

However, Jeff had a dreadful feeling that he didn't fake the rest of this. "You got with Britta this _past _weekend?" Jeff whispered harshly.

"Where did you hear that from?" Troy asked in an actual panic. "Please say you heard it from Pierce! At least in front of Britta!"

"Troy, can you translate your gibberish into English faster than usual?" Jeff found himself asking.

"Okay look, so Britta called me this weekend, said she wanted to be with me, and then we made out a teeny tiny bit for a few hours in her apartment. But she didn't want you guys to know until we told them this afternoon! I couldn't even tell Abed, since he probably already knew, and she said we couldn't tell Annie early since she'd blab to everyone! And she said I couldn't tell you 'just because!' So that's why when she asks, _Pierce _told you first, right?" Troy demanded to know.

"How would Pierce even have the brains to guess that?" Jeff asked, figuring some Pierce bashing would get his head back on straight.

"I don't know! I just spilled the big secret when my new girlfriend told me not to! I can't think of _everything_ perfect! What am I, iCarly?" Troy cried out as Jeff tried not to remember past iCarly references.

"Before we both drown in your tears again, let's clear one thing up first. Britta….is your _girlfriend _now? Like, _girlfriend _girlfriend?" Jeff double checked.

"That's what she said she wanted to be this weekend. So Pierce won't stop her from saying it again today, right?' Troy triple checked.

"And it'd make you that upset if he did?" Jeff wound up asking.

"Duh doy!" Troy said, using the most disturbing phrase possible. "I'm finally with Britta now, I can't let _Pierce's _big mouth ruin that! So he was too excited that I was finally with Britta, and was so happy he just had to tell _someone _early while she wasn't around! Should he really get in trouble for that totally logical mistake?"

Mistake was quite a fitting word, although Jeff wasn't thinking about Troy's mistake. He was thinking about Britta's.

Troy actually looked happy that he was Britta's boyfriend now. And he had no idea that Britta did it to show Jeff up, win their latest competition and make Jeff feel miserable for his lack of guts with Annie. For not hooking up with Annie fast enough just to win a challenge from an ex.

Yet Britta did it, and Troy had no idea it wasn't because she wanted him. If he ever found out, he would probably feel used and manipulated and think that he meant nothing to Britta. Nothing real, anyway.

Not if it took a bet and some idiotic competition with Jeff, of all people, for Britta to make a move. And to only make a move to beat her ex, not because she really solved the problems that kept her from being with Troy sooner. Now they would eventually come back and ruin their 'relationship' for good, long after the euphoria from beating Jeff had washed away.

How could Britta _actually _do that? Well, Jeff knew how, since this was Britta and this kind of screw-up was what she did. But _this _was too much even for her. And if she still expected that Jeff would really do that to Annie too….

And then it clicked. All of Jeff's feelings since Saturday night really clicked. Granted, it was too late to make a difference and it would make Jeff feel even worse later. But at least he knew _why _he was feeling guilty and shameful this time.

"Jeff? Jeff?" Oh right, Troy was still there while he was zoning out. "What were you zoning out to? It wasn't that rare Inspector Spacetime episode where Reggie saved the day by himself, right? Cause I called zoning out dibs on that for eternity! Do you think it's too soon to brag about that to Britta?"

"It's too soon in your relationship for a lot of things. And I've got to go," Jeff laid out, still halfway zoned out although he still had the energy to look for Britta. Fortunately, he found her at the lounge and she was thankfully all alone. There was a joke in there somewhere about her unpopularity, but Jeff had no time to find one for once.

A few seconds later, Britta saw Jeff standing over her, and instantly figured out what had happened. "Oh God, he told you early, didn't he?" Britta groaned.

"No, it was Pierce. At least that's what Troy will beg you to believe," Jeff filled in.

"Fine, so I probably left him alone because I knew he'd do that! So I'm still so self-destructive that I let him spoil my win early! The point is I still won! I did what you didn't have the man parts to do with Annie! But I guess if I could do it after all, you're out of excuses, so….you're welcome!" Britta bragged.

Granted, she still wasn't 100% comfortable with playing a part in helping Jeff and Annie get together. Yet at least doing it like this would help her gloat over Jeff some more.

"You would be if I was going to do it. But I'm not," Jeff responded. So he was going to be_ that_ kind of sore loser.

"Come on, Jeff! I showed you up and got Troy, and you _still _can't get Annie? You're going to keep stringing her along just to _spite_ me now?" Britta theorized. "Can you _really_ live with me beating you like that?"

"You know, if you can live with getting together with Troy just to beat me, I can live with stuff too," Jeff pouted.

"Oh come on again, we made this bet together! Now you're going to make me feel guilty just because you lost?" Britta protested, briefly noting her voice shook a bit when she said 'feel guilty.' Better to recognize that now, before her upcoming argument with Jeff blocked out all other thoughts for a few hours.

Yet instead of shouting back at her, Jeff sat down next to Britta and looked like he was thinking. That was certainly the weirdest argument tactic she'd ever seen from him. "You know what, Britta?" Jeff finally started. "You do deserve credit for this." All right, now _that _was the weirdest by a pretty big margin.

"I know that, but how do _you_ know that?" Britta wondered.

"Because you did what you said you would. You got off your ass, stopped hating yourself for a little while, stopped screwing up for a little while and got your guy. I mean, you did it for all the wrong reasons, ignored all your issues and don't stand a chance in the long run with Troy. But leaving that aside, you _did _do it! That's more than I ever did," Jeff noted.

This had all the earmarks of a classic sarcastic Winger putdown. Except for the somewhat…..sincere way he said it, which really threw Britta off. Yes, that was better to focus on than the second half of that speech. Very much so. "What are you getting at, Jeff?" Britta asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying you won, so you should enjoy it. I mean, if I can't get that sort of thing, then _one _of us should. I could get it, but….I can't do it that way. Not to Annie. I can't give her everything she deserves because my ex dared me, and not because I was ready. If it's ever going to happen with her, I have to do it _right_," Jeff made himself get out.

"Wait a minute, _you _care about getting it right with a woman?" Britta said incredulously – albeit not to as great a degree as she expected.

"If I didn't, I would have just banged her and been done with it a long time ago, wouldn't I?" Jeff somehow made total sense. "But I could _never _just do that to her. I can't do _anything _with her unless I know I can do it _all_! The sex, the relationship, the future, all of it! If I was only ready to try just to beat _you_….then I'm clearly not ready at all. I mean, I knew that from the start and I didn't realize it until _today, _how messed up is that? So it's six more months, or years, of keeping her away until I'm not that stupid."

"Jeff, are you _really_ going that far just to guilt me?" Britta asked with uncertainty. She should have known he was screwing with her without a doubt, just to ruin her win and even steal it on a technicality. But either his fake sincere voice and face had gotten much better – although Jeff wouldn't have put in the work to make it _that _better – or he was being…..serious?

"This isn't guilt, Britta, I told you!" Jeff reiterated. "At least _one _of us had the guts to go after someone she really…..liked! I'm trying to compliment you on that! And when you're not bugging the hell out of me and screwing up all our lives, you're….kind of close to deserving it. At least more than me. Maybe that'll balance out how you did this, I don't know. But at least you'll try to find out, which is more than I can do right now. Maybe more than I can ever do."

"Because you care too much to start out with her like I did with Troy?" Britta asked without laughing in disbelief – or even _feeling _that much disbelief. This truly took her aback, especially when Jeff could only nod yes. And it made her start to craft a theory that should have been impossible.

"Jeff? Be serious now…..are you…._in love_ with Annie?"

Britta felt awkward that she whispered "in love" like Annie did when she whispered something embarrassing. Yet she soon forgot that when Jeff didn't stammering out any denials. He was just sitting still instead of comically denying everything – which made Britta all but stammer herself. "Jeff? If this is a joke, it isn't funny, even by your standards! Are you _really_ trying to tell me you _love _Annie Edison? For _reals?_"

"If that's the way you want to look at it, I can't stop you. As long as you tell _no one_ else." Okay, that last part sounded just like the old Jeff. Whether it balanced out the shocking first part was another matter.

"Who the hell would believe me? _I _wouldn't believe me and I just _heard _it!" Britta let out before she could stop herself.

"And that's the whole problem, isn't it? I mean, I thought about hooking up with Annie before I was ready, just to make you look stupid! If that doesn't say how _not _ready I am, or how you _shouldn't _believe that I can…." Jeff trailed off as his words further shook Britta's soul.

"Well, however I feel, it's not like it's done me _or _her any good, has it? And that'll have to continue a while longer. But you enjoy your honeymoon phase with Troy...since you _do _kind of deserve one. And remember, this all started because _Pierce _opened his big mouth," Jeff reminded Britta before getting up.

"Wait, Jeff, you're _really…._" Britta started asking again as Jeff headed off. But she still wanted to keep asking it, since she _still _couldn't believe she heard him right. If she did, then that would prove Jeff Winger was in love – and that was just impossible!

Or was it? After hearing him talk about Annie that way, wanting to do things right, and all the other Jeff/ Annie evidence since November 2009….was it?

"No, no that's _not _it!" she spoke out loud to no one. "If _he's_ in love, then _nothing's _for certain anymore! If that's possible, then up could be down, black could be white, there _could _be a God, and dogs _might _not deserve to be cat's slaves! I mean, in some alternate world where slavery's acceptable….but if anyone deserved to enslave anyone, am I right?"

"I can't hear what you said, but no!" Leonard called out nearby.

"Shut up Leonard, I know…..oh God, what the hell _do _I know?" Britta gasped.

"No one's known that for three years, so your guess is as good as ours!" Leonard interjected, although Britta was back in her own little world.

"I knew Jeff couldn't love, but if that's not true, then _anything _really is possible! And if _he _can love someone other than himself….then why the hell couldn't I love _myself _enough to be with Troy? And couldn't I do it without making bets with Jeff first?" Britta then talked a lot louder to herself. "Oh my God, epiphany! I just had a real, licensed psych major epiphany! On _me_!"

"That's not all that wants to be on you! At least if the black lady's really unavailable!" Leonard called out.

"Shut up Leonard, I know it's not impossible to love myself now!" Britta triumphantly yelled.

"Aw, Jeff's much better at this, you're just the worst!" Leonard groaned as he left.

"Not forever, Leonard, not forever!" Britta cheered. "It almost doesn't matter that _Jeff,_ of all people, taught me all this! Or that I have to do _work _on liking myself now! Or that….or that I hooked up with Troy before I was ready….and that I did it for the wrong reasons after all," she trailed off in guilt. "Damn it! Sequel epiphanies really _are_ worse than the original!"

There really was no getting around that. Or that even if Jeff wasn't out to make Britta feel guilty, she just did that job herself. And if _Jeff _could realize how stupid and wrong-headed this wager/competition was, what was stopping Britta? Other than her own guilt, feeling stupid, and hating herself again for screwing up?

But if it _was_ possible to do something to stop hating herself, then Britta probably had to do it. Even if that meant….

"Ugh! If Jeff _did_ plan this to beat me, I will go psych major crazy on him! At least they'll have to give me my pick of a good insane asylum. I mean, if being a licensed psych major doesn't get you _that, _what is it good for? What?" Britta stopped herself, paused, then muttered, "Okay, one life crisis at a time…." and then headed off to find Troy.

Once she found Troy outside, she proceeded to tell him everything. Why she got drunk on Friday, why she wanted to stay at Jeff's, the challenge she and Jeff made the next morning, and how she made herself make a move on Troy just to make Jeff look stupid. Not because she suddenly wanted to be with him – well, not _just _because of that.

"Troy, I swear I didn't make _everything _up just to beat Jeff! I _do _like you and I want to be with you! I just…..sped it up to humiliate Jeff, not because I liked you. If that's what it takes, then I guess I'm really not ready to be with anyone. No matter how much I want to be someday…." Britta admitted. "But right now, I'm still more likely to sabotage and push away good things in my life, and people too! If I really like you, and I _do_….then I can't let my issues screw you over. You're too important to me to Britta like that."

"But you _do _like me? And I _am_ important to you?" Troy actually asked to start off. Instead of crying or yelling or feeling used and betrayed, he just asked for reassurance that she liked him. Something was wrong with that somewhere.

"Yes, but what does that matter? You _are _important to me, and I _still_ took advantage of you just to beat my ex-sleeping buddy! How can you still like me so much after that? I don't like myself that much sometimes, and most of you don't like me a lot sometimes too! So how can _you_?" Britta inquired.

Well, that seemed to prove Britta's point right there. Troy seemed willing to let her off the hook, yet she still sabotaged herself and tried to make him hate her after all. But it just seemed so implausible that Troy could still like her that much, with her track record. How could he like a….Britta to that extent anyway?

God, was that how Jeff felt about himself and Annie all the time? For _three years _at that? Well, her assumptions about Jeff's feelings were _officially _one more thing she got totally wrong. Good to know.

"So you screw up a lot, so what? I do too!" That wasn't the opening statement Britta expected from Troy. She didn't feel like dreaming _that _big, and yet….

"I got too nervous to keep playing football! I was a jerk in high school and I never noticed people like Annie! And I don't understand smart things that good neither!" Troy less than eloquently pointed out. "You're no more of a screw up than me, or anyone else in the group! You just do it a lot more often, that's all!"

"Gee, is that what it is?" Britta got in some half-hearted sarcasm.

"But it doesn't matter! No matter how much you mess up, you're always trying to make it better, like you are now! And you never give up on trying to be better and make us better too! You're like Annie that way, but even hotter!" Troy somehow judged.

"You think I'm…." Britta made herself stop before looking too shallow. Yet being called hotter than Annie was so rare these days, she _could _indulge in that and not look too bad, right? No. No no, she had more important things to get out of this first. For now.

"Well, you're kind of like Jeff, too, except even _way _hotter." Now _that_ Britta could indulge in for a few seconds. Yet she did focus again when Troy elaborated further.

"You guys don't really like yourselves and you think you're the worst. But you're always doing good stuff and you care _so_ much about us anyway! Okay, maybe he's a little better at it right now, that's obvious!" Well, so much for being _positively _compared to Jeff for the first time – kind of.

"But he won't be forever! I mean, if you're still cool and hot and awesome when you're messing up, you'll just be the coolest, hotter, awesomest person ever when you get it right! Maybe even more than Abed!" Troy cheered.

"You said _when _I get it right? You really think it'll be _when_? For reals?" Britta checked, and Troy just nodded yes. "You're really sure? I mean, I don't know when that's going to happen. It took me this long just to stop liking bad boys, instead of guys like you."

"But you_ do _like me, I know that now!" Troy exclaimed. "I thought you _couldn't _like someone who treated you good! Like when you called me a loser for that text message! But you just proved that you _do _like me, and that really means a lot! So now we can take care of that other stuff, no problem!"

"We can?" Britta wondered. "You still want to be with me? Even after I got us together for the wrong reasons? And I called you a loser for that….less lame than I thought message? I mean, I still can't promise I won't do that again! Or stop myself from pushing you away when you're nice to me!"

"You haven't done any of that right now, so that's a good sign," Troy reminded her. "And you're not giving up after you screwed up, like always. So if you really want to be with me, I know you'll get it right soon. Now that you said you want that, it's really all I needed to know."

"I don't deserve you," Britta finally admitted, then backtracked a bit before Troy could object. "But I really want to believe I do. Look at me, I freaked out all weekend over a _guy_, and I didn't feel like a traitor to woman kind! Not more than 10 times, anyway! I guess I really _do_ like you….and if you can really like _me_….well….thank you."

Although she felt like kissing Troy right then, Britta settled for just giving him a hug. If she was going to do this right, she still had more work to do to get that much with a clear conscience.

"I really _am _sorry if you _ever _thought I didn't like you," Britta said while they hugged. "That won't be a problem again. Not that I'm proving it in a slutty, demeaning way, mind you!"

"Don't worry, I came to terms with that a while ago. Trust me, it wasn't easy, but I did it," Troy semi-joked.

"Well, if _you _can do that, I got no excuse, then," Britta stated yet again as she broke from Troy.

"It really is easier, knowing you like me that way for reals and all," Troy repeated. "I guess I can't whine, though. I just waited a few months to know that. But Annie's been waiting three _years _to know that from Jeff! She's really earned that a lot more than I have!"

"She has, hasn't she?" Britta reflected. Hell, it was even worse for Annie because Jeff really _did_ want to tell her he liked/loved her. He was just so convinced he couldn't make it work….like Britta was convinced about her and Troy. Yet Britta wouldn't have taken such a big step to fix that if not for Jeff. Which meant…..

"Oh God, I really owe _Jeff Winger _one!" Britta groaned. "It's bad enough I lost the moral high ground to_ Jeff Winger_! Now I owe him _this_ too?"

"How'd we get from talking about Annie to Jeff? Did your funny cigarettes make you forget what they look like? Please tell me you still remember the monkey isn't _Jeff's _Boobs!" Troy pleaded. But after having one of his profound spells for longer than usual, Britta figured he would go back into clueless mode eventually.

"I remember who they are," Britta assured. "Unfortunately, I remember I owe Jeff one, too. That means I have to get him together with Annie now. I can't believe it, all this from one of our little giant fights! We _both _didn't know what we were saying, and now _I _have to…."

Britta's eyes then widened to an Annie-like size. But it was because she got an idea, not because she was Disney-facing Troy. She would have to kill herself if she ever tried that, yet that was a vow for another day. "Now I actually have a good idea…."

"You sure? I know you're good at coming back from mistakes, but do you really need to _come back_ here?" Troy tried to hint.

"I don't need to, I've finally got a real good idea! It'd be nice if it could take down an evil corporation, or _Toddlers and Tiaras_ while it was at it! But I guess I've got to do baby steps first! I'll tell you how I stepped later!" Britta promised before kissing Troy on the cheek, heading back inside and texting Annie an invitation to her apartment that afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff actually arrived at Britta's apartment on time at 5 pm. Obviously he was_ really _desperate to get Britta's last minute gloating over with. Why else would Britta invite him over with her usual poorly spelled text messages? Her gibberish didn't translate into coded messages, so he went with the gloating theory.

Therefore, Jeff sighed as he got to her apartment, prepared for whatever Britta had in mind to make him feel worse.

But he wasn't prepared for Annie to be in the apartment with her. Yet that was what stunned Jeff seconds after Britta let him in.

"Don't worry Jeff, I already told her everything," Jeff vaguely heard Britta say while he focused on Annie. Yet when those words finally registered, Jeff did the exact opposite of not worrying.

"You did _what_, exactly?" Jeff checked, turning his attention from Annie and putting it entirely onto Britta. That indicated how serious this was.

"I told her the whole story. You said I should stop hating myself and go after Troy. Then I dared you to do the same with Annie, but you refused because doing it just to beat me wouldn't be right. Then I got together with Troy anyway to shame you, but you helped me see how stupid that was. And that you cared about Annie too much to confess that way. Don't worry, I told her _all _about that part in great detail," Britta said as if she didn't just give Jeff five mini-heart attacks.

"But your honesty made me tell Troy everything, and we're still good anyway! All because you made it happen! I figured Annie should hear it from me first, and I wanted to give you credit for helping me! So, kill two evil loggers with one stone, right?" Britta questioned.

"That's….._all _you told her?" Jeff made himself ask.

There were many other questions he had that would just make him explode right now. So he chose the least explosive topic to start with – the one where Britta didn't say that Jeff agreed to her little challenge at first. That she didn't reveal how Jeff was only ready to go for Annie just to defeat Britta, until he came to his senses. That in fact, she claimed to tell Annie a story where he was 100 percent innocent.

"That is the whole story. At least the important parts I wanted her to know," Britta assured. However, the last part set Jeff back into explosive mode.

"Well, why did you want her to know _anything_? I told you not to tell _anyone _about this! How could you forget that Annie's an _anyone_ too?" Jeff demanded to know.

"Look, I told Troy and he was cool with it, I figured Annie would react the same," Britta way too casually explained. As if she didn't just Britta everything worse than ever before.

"For the last time, Annie is _not _Troy! And me and her are _not _like you and him! Just because _he _let you off the hook doesn't mean she…..I mean, she really shouldn't….God, why did you say _anything_?" Jeff asked, in full on angry at Britta mode.

"Come on, what _exactly _was so bad about her knowing?" Britta had the nerve to ask.

"How about _everything_?" Jeff laid out.

"Everything in a story where _you _were the good guy?" Britta countered. "That's right, Jeff, it is possible! A lot of impossible things happened today, but maybe that was because they _weren't _impossible! Maybe I _can_ like myself enough to have a good thing with Troy, and maybe you _can _be the good guy with Annie! You were better with her than I ever was with Troy, and I admit that! That's why I had to tell Annie and get my conscience cleared some more!"

"So….this was all about _you _then," Jeff took out of it. "You clearing _your _conscience, no matter what you revealed to do it. So you told Annie things that were supposed to be secret, and would just make things even more awkward between us. But hey, as long as Britta Perry gets to feel superior to us unevolved drones again, who the hell cares? God, you are so selfish!"

"Oh, like that's a bad thing to you, you paranoid jag?" Britta actually attacked.

"Maybe it kind of sort of is a little! And that ticks you off, because _she_ made it a bad thing for me and you didn't! That's why you tried to speed me and Annie up so I could ruin both our lives, is that it?" Jeff accused.

"And why would I be _that _jealous, explain that!" Britta challenged.

"Because I love her and I didn't love you, how about that?" Jeff shot back, too far gone to realize what he said.

"That….is a low blow. Saying you love her just to win an argument with me," Britta responded.

"No, the low blow is to be with her to win an argument with you! You tried to make me do that, but I didn't! And I can't! I can't do anything with her until I know I can give her _everything! _You know that because I was stupid enough to tell you! So I guess _this _is all my fault too!" Jeff resigned.

"So that wasn't a lie? You love her and you actually _want _to give her all that sappy romance stuff? But you're _still _convinced you're not good enough to do it yet? But you _want_ to do it when you're good enough? _That's _how much you care about her? And it's _not_ just nonsense you're saying to debate me?" Britta quadruple-duple checked.

"Britta, I say a _lot _of nonsense when I debate you. That's why we don't work as a real couple. So….I guess it's something that the one time I'm yelling _real _stuff at you, it's about Annie. But when I fight with her, there's….a lot more than anger involved. So maybe it makes sense," Jeff conceded.

"Because you can fight with her and still love her at the same time. Because you _are _in love with her. And it really _is_ possible for Jeff Winger to love someone other than himself," Britta said with some leftover shock.

"Accepting it and doing anything about it is another matter. But…." Jeff's sigh of defeat was all the confirmation Britta needed.

"You got all that, Annie? Is that all news to you?" Britta asked, which suddenly made Jeff remember a few things.

The first was that Annie was there – which he had completely forgotten about. Then again, he blocked out the whole world during his Britta spats, so it seemed this was no different.

Except for the part about saying he had feelings for Annie _right in front _of Annie.

This would be extra embarrassing, if Britta didn't tell Annie and ruined everything before Jeff got here.

Wait, then why did she ask if it was news to Annie…..?

"Yeah….it's news, all right," Jeff heard Annie say quietly. That just raised more disturbing questions.

"Annie, what did Britta tell you before I came here?" Jeff asked, and not because he was trying to distract Annie from his confessions.

"Nothing. Just that you'd be here soon and I couldn't say a word while you guys talked," Annie filled in. By the time everything became clear, Jeff turned and saw Britta smiling more unsettlingly than usual.

"You set me up. You didn't tell her anything…..you just made _me _do it. In one of our arguments where I never realize _what _I'm saying! And it _worked_?" Jeff was incredibly stunned over.

"What can I say, I guess I was due after two years," Britta bragged.

"But….you just had to be due with _me_?" Jeff lamented. "I just said….that stuff….because I was fighting with you!"

"No, you said very clearly that it _wasn't _because we were fighting. Maybe you were too worked up to censor yourself, just like I wanted. But you _admitted _that the Annie nonsense was _real_! I just figured Annie would believe it more coming from you than me! And if arguing with me was what made you admit the truth….well, the more important thing is that it _was _the truth, right?" Britta asked.

"What good does that do?" Jeff asked, meeker than he wanted.

"Lots of it, look at me and Troy! He cared more that I _admitted _I wanted to be with him than anything! Not knowing is what hurt him, not me! But now that he knows how I feel, he can _help _me through my stupid issues! He's no licensed psych major, but he has undergrad potential, so I'll take it!" Britta admitted. "And _you_ insisted that Annie's superior to Troy in every way. So wouldn't she be superior in helping you like that too?"

"In…in theory…..but she's….and I'm…." Jeff embarrassingly stuttered, again too caught up to control himself when it came to Annie. Even when Britta was discussing her.

"Jeff, I just carried out a whole plan without Britta'ing it once! If _that's _possible, and if you being in love is possible, then it's possible for you to get it right with Annie too! I mean, it'd better. I'm kind of basing my bravery with Troy around _you_ nutting up! So, no pressure," Britta commented as Jeff followed her to her apartment door.

"Just what is _this_, exactly? You _helping _me with her? In your insane Britta way?" Jeff wondered.

"On the record, now _you _owe _me_ one and I'm calling that favor in but _good_!" Britta cheered, then got serious. "_Way _off the record? When you're not bugging the hell out of me and screwing up all our lives, you're….kind of close to deserving this. Even if you don't think so." Jeff certainly never thought he'd hear that from her – especially when it came to him and Annie.

"I mean, no matter how much we annoy each other, you're the only guy I've had sex with that's ever been….a friend to me," Britta got herself to admit. "And if I can find someone that makes me feel new, kind of sort of good things about myself….then my friend should too." But before Jeff could get the wrong idea, Britta reminded, "But if I see Annie crying because of you, or if you or her or Troy say the words 'double date' to me in the first six months, I'll end your world."

"You're really going to quote Pierce with-" Jeff started before Britta cut in.

"End your world, Winger!" she backed up. "Now then, I'm going to take a walk for a few minutes. When I come back, no one had better have their clothes on my floor."

"That laundry in the corner tells me its too late," Jeff pointed out.

"What are you, the laundry whisperer?" Britta protested. And with that, they were back on form.

Yet when Britta opened the door in a huff, Jeff stopped her by actually trying to smile, under the circumstances. It wasn't on the level of his special Annie smile, of course. But it still conveyed some reluctant, tentative, yet heartfelt thanks for what Britta had done out of their weird, heated but kind of special friendship.

Britta conveyed it a lot better with her smile, which made her gloat to herself inwardly. So she signaled Jeff by nodding in Annie's direction, then left before she could gloat outwardly and worry about them making out on her laundry.

Yet for once, making out was far from Jeff's mind when he noticed Annie. "So, I guess you have a lot of questions," Jeff started slowly.

"No, you and Britta answered most of them," Annie answered shyly. "It's not the way I imagined it would go, but…."

"And that's it. I just couldn't do it like Britta did. And I _still _can't do it and turn it into some fairy tale romance for you! Not now…." Jeff admitted.

"But you _want _to. That's new to me…." Annie reminded.

"Wanting it means nothing if I can't do it. And I can't say for sure I can. And you can't be with _anyone _who isn't good enough to give you that on the spot. You can't compromise your sappy, romantic vision for someone like me. You've already lost too much in your life already! You shouldn't lose that kind of dream relationship too, because no one's earned it more than you! But as long as I still think that stuff is lame, dumb and childish…." Jeff couldn't make himself finish.

"Jeff, you're not the _only _one who thinks that's dumb and childish," Annie replied.

"I know, that's why I didn't want Britta to hear this stuff. Unfortunately, I owe her one….so maybe that can be it!" Jeff proposed.

"I wasn't talking about Britta! Jeff, I haven't wanted that sappy relationship for a long time! At least since the middle of last spring! Maybe if you told me how you felt sooner, you'd have known that!" Annie drove home.

"Well….arguing with Britta takes up so much time," Jeff tried to joke to belay his nerves. But it didn't work for long. "And fighting with her makes me admit things….and do things….I should have said and done with you first. I mean, _she_ pushed my buttons enough to make me say….what I felt. You've pushed them for years and never gotten that much out of me! Doesn't that tell you something?"

"If it's supposed to tell me to be jealous of Britta, it won't work. Granted, her being with Troy is why I'm not jealous, but still! The other reason is you _admitted _you want me, and you wish you could let yourself have me! _Finally _knowing that, directly from you, means more than you could imagine! No matter who tricked you into saying it!" Annie confessed.

"But that can't be enough. Not for you," Jeff tried to say again.

"Jeff, you weren't listening to me, _again_. I don't want some fairy tale love story anymore!" Annie repeated. "I don't even know what my feelings are for you, either! I thought I knew, but all that really threw me off. But….in the good way."

Once Jeff realized this meant Annie _wasn't_ in love with him anymore before today, he felt sick. Yet that probably wouldn't help him with…._whatever _he was trying to accomplish. So he just let Annie continue.

"You don't know how to get what you want. I don't either. But you want me, I still want you in _some _way, and we both want a real relationship we've never had before. Why can't we just go from there? If we can't figure this out on our own, why not do it together? Without living up to some impossible standard?" Annie inquired. "I mean, _Britta_'s asking for help with that stuff, so I'm sure you can too!"

"I don't want to do things because Britta's doing them or not!" Jeff insisted. "I….want to do it because _I _want to. And because…._you _want to."

"Good. Now if you can stop assuming what I want, we'll get somewhere. And….maybe if I actually filled you in so you didn't have to guess, that would be nice too," Annie admitted guiltily. "I just didn't think you'd be interested in knowing those things. But now that I know you are, we can start talking."

"_Start?_ We're still not done?" Jeff groaned.

"All right, fine, you can just repeat things you already said! Like the answer to this. Jeff, do you want to have a relationship with me someday?" Annie double checked.

Jeff had already given the right answer more times than he cared to – at least before today. Maybe one more wouldn't _kill_ him.

"Yes. But not until I can make it a _good _one and start it _right. _Not like Britta did before she got it right," he stressed.

"Well, I don't know what a _good one _really is, and neither do you! So let's work it out together, then! That's starting right right there, right? We can take it slow and not rush into things, and that's _not _me compromising, Jeff!" Annie insisted.

"We can hang out more after school, just the two of us! Go to dinner once in a while, even without candles! _Talk _to each other when we don't know what we want or how to get it! Maybe we could even kiss and not ignore each other for the next three months! It's got to work better than what we've _been _doing!"

"That's really what you want? You're not saying that to make me feel better?" Jeff triple-checked. Annie just shook her head no, which allowed Jeff to review her offer – and how astonishing it was that she gave it, under the circumstances. "You know, I thought if I ever said…..that stuff, you'd freak out one way or the other. How are you so calm now?"

"That's only how I _look_, Jeff. Otherwise, it's a _way _different story. I'm just better at hiding it now. There's another thing you couldn't let yourself see about me. But if I could put aside my fantasy version of Jeff, you should put aside your fantasy Annie too. I want….I just want to try something as _us._ The _real _us. And worrying about the old us's and dragging ex….sleeping friends into it isn't working," Annie illuminated.

"Or hating ourselves for what we think we might do to each other," Jeff backed up.

"_Britta _thinks you might not do that to me. So if – no, no, right, you don't want to be inspired by her, my mistake," Annie corrected. Yet Jeff realized he didn't want to help correct her. Not as much, anyway.

"Maybe I could be inspired just this once," Jeff conceded. "I wouldn't have even met you without Britta. And I wouldn't have….finally said stuff I really mean without her today. Even if she almost screwed me up first. So maybe she isn't the _worst _person to take a cue from. Not _all _the time. But she's still got a long way to go to pass…..other women," he tried to signal to Annie.

Annie got it clear enough, as she showed by reaching out to take Jeff's hand. He then closed the gap himself, which made him wonder again about kissing her. Yet he didn't remind himself as much this time that it's the worst thing he could do. If it still was.

But instead of running away, patting Annie's head, or dismissing whatever she said or did so he could escape, Jeff stood his ground. And Annie didn't scare his resolve off by trying to kiss her, or look even more kissable than usual – on purpose.

She just came over slowly and hugged him, with the warmth of it conveying all the feelings and truths they had worked out together. Even Jeff wasn't rotten enough to screw that up.

So he sank into the hug – as much as he could sink into someone a few inches smaller – and actually let himself enjoy a mere hug from someone he….cared for deeply.

And to think all of this was flooding through Jeff because of….

"Oh, God," he let out. "I owe _Britta Perry _for this. I _owe _her one….what hell have I stepped into?"

"Jeff, you just praised Britta a minute ago," Annie reminded while her face was lying against his chest.

"Yeah, that still doesn't mean she won't lord this over me! Or ask for something awful to make us even!" Jeff dreaded. "If I have to pretend I hate Wall Street _again_…."

"Oh, come on, Jeff. You can mock her and bite her head off all you want. We thought it meant you two were destined to be together years ago," Annie stated, only stumbling a little. Yet she brushed that off and pulled back from Jeff to level with him.

"But all that bickering doesn't mean you hate her or love her – not in _that _way! It's that strong because you two _do _really care about each other – not in the sleeping together way! Not anymore, _hopefully_," she warned. "In the way that no matter how much you fight, you'd still do anything for each other when you really need it. Just like she did for you now, and what I guess you did for her earlier today. _That's _how you love each other….and I can live with that. I suppose," Annie assured.

"Hmm. I guess….that's something I can live with too," Jeff admitted before being embarrassed again. "Thank _God _Britta's against bugging people's houses. I_ never _thought I'd be thankful for that until now!"

"Okay….well, I guess we should be thankful outside and leave before Britta comes back," Annie admitted. "Besides, I feel _really _eager to go home and talk to Troy about.…some things."

"Fine, but just so you know, it was _Pierce _who spoiled the ending for you earlier," Jeff clarified. Annie had no idea about that inside joke, so she just brushed it off and headed for Britta's door. Jeff followed her, and even let his hand lay onto Annie's upper back by the time she reached the exit.

Jeff hadn't even kissed Annie yet, and probably wasn't completely convinced he wouldn't screw up later. And there was still no way in Hell he was telling her that he agreed to Britta's little dare before rejecting it. But after going out of his way not to talk to Annie about this stuff, or ask for her help – or assume that she would be anything other than a love struck, oblivious puppy if he did – doing it this way felt….promising. Hopeful, even.

And he still couldn't get around that he owed a lot of this to _Britta Perry_.

Yet Britta probably felt equally embarrassed that she owed her breakthrough with Troy to Jeff. But despite all that, she still went out of her way to help him with Annie – more than he really did to help Britta with Troy, really. Hell, Britta even made up her first foolproof plan _ever_, just so Jeff could have the same unprecedented, overdue breakthrough that she did.

And as Annie smiled at him specially and Jeff smiled back by habit, he saw there could be worse things he owed Britta for. Or worse people he could owe this to. There weren't supposed to be worse people than Britta at most anything.

Yet maybe in some weird way that only made sense with him and Britta, or with anything in the larger Greendale universe…..most other friendships were the worst compared to theirs. And that the second best thing to come of Jeff and Annie….getting closer, was that it didn't drive him and Britta apart after all.

Maybe admitting that to Britta would get him out of being a corporate effigy, or some other humiliating thing, at her next protest. With his luck going so well at the moment, that wish would be Britta'd to balance it all out.

But hopefully Annie was as good as kissing stuff like that all better as he hoped.

**THE END**


End file.
